Why care about Skyrim's menus?

[ThisJustin]

I can't believe that people are saying "It's ok as long as you accept that you don't use the mouse"! Really, people are supposed to unlearn mouse usage on a PC? For this one badly designed UI?

Talk about apologists.

I'm not saying "it's ok" I'm saying it's better. That's right, using only the keys works a lot faster than a mouse specific menu like Oblivion or Morrowind. It can for you to, you don't have to unlearn anything. If you are willing to use the effort to make all your selections with the mouse, then the effort of moving the pointer an inch off the list and never taking your hand off the WASD keys should be simple. You may even start to enjoy it. I was used to norm too, then I realized this is easier.

Oh no, this new system causes me to slightly adjust my learned behavior. So it must be shit. Talk about reactionary.

 

[Epona]

I can't believe that people are saying "It's ok as long as you accept that you don't use the mouse"! Really, people are supposed to unlearn mouse usage on a PC? For this one badly designed UI?

Talk about apologists.

I'm not saying "it's ok" I'm saying it's better. That's right, using only the keys works a lot faster than a mouse specific menu like Oblivion or Morrowind. It can for you to, you don't have to unlearn anything. If you are willing to use the effort to make all your selections with the mouse, then the effort of moving the pointer an inch off the list and never taking your hand off the WASD keys should be simple. You may even start to enjoy it. I was used to norm too, then I realized this is easier.

Oh no, this new system causes me to slightly adjust my learned behavior. So it must be shit. Talk about reactionary.

Not using the most important input device the PC has ever had is not "SLIGHTLY adjusting learned behavior". You may prefer not to use the mouse but from I have seen here in this very thread, most people prefer to use the mouse.

 

[Atmos Duality]

This was a big problem for me in Oblivion, but Skyrim's interface is WORSE than Oblivion?
I'm glad I don't have to deal with it.

But seriously: Trying to manage Inventory in Oblivion was like trying to operate a Rolodex with just your toes. Technically possible, but maddeningly irritating.

Dropping items wasn't intuitive, and in a game where weight/burden management is critical, having a few sorting options would have made things far easier.
I do like how they've basically gone "Fuck PC gamers. We're not even going to attempt to address this issue. We'll just let them fix it themselves."

 

[Get_A_Grip_]

The problem is that they took a step back from the previous games.
All I want to do in Skyrim is assign number keys to potions and spells. Is that too much to ask for?

 

[Vivi22]

Interface is a very important aspect of game, especially if said game happens to be an RPG.

This. UI is literally how you interact with the game. If it doesn't work properly, or if it does things that get in your way, then it's a problem. I haven't played Skyrim to be perfectly fair, but I've seen some well thought out and articulated explanations of a lot of the problems that the Skyrim UI has in the PC version and it's enough to put me off of buying it until either Bethesda fixes them or modders do. I can accept some minor inefficiency here and there, but when it sounds like the entire interface wasn't even remotely designed for the PC, and worse, many of the issues are obvious, don't even make sense to implement in the first place (tab to escape from menus?), and are easily fixable long before release, it makes it hard for me to want to play the game as is. The rest of it could be amazing, but why should I have to adapt to a user interface that throws out design and usability conventions which have been developed and proven effective over more than 30 years?

You are right in a way, we shouldn't focus so much on it; but that's exactly the problem.

I agree with this statement. As players we shouldn't have to focus our attention on UI. It should be efficient and serve it's purpose in facilitating a smooth gaming experience. As soon as you have to get used to something beyond simply re-mapping some keys (which I've heard is a good way to break the UI in Skyrim. Not sure if they've fixed that yet) then it had better be for a damn good reason. Something along the lines of being objectively better than prior conventions, or a feature which has never been done before. If players are having to adapt to your game and you can't honestly say that it's for either of those reasons then you fucked up and need to fix the interface. Players should never be conscious of how they're interacting with your game after the first 10-20 minutes.

 

[ThisJustin]

The problem is that they took a step back from the previous games.
All I want to do in Skyrim is assign number keys to potions and spells. Is that too much to ask for?

Favorite your items in the menu, press "f" next to the item or spell, then open the favorites menu "q" and press # key you want for those items. I have my most needed items and spell 1-8 and then a smattering of other important things along with them it favorites menu.

 

[stemfish]

Honestly, while playing for the PS3, the menu is very nice, intuitive, and smooth.
When I played it for PC, it was choppy and took extra effort to use.

So they optimized the interface for the PS3/360 version over the PC, and I can't blame them. The copy I used for PC was a cracked copy that Bethesda will never see any money for, while the version I play at home I put down $60 for.

I'm willing to bet that most of those who are complaining about the interface are on PC, and for those who bought it for PC, I think you are owed an apology, but there is a reason why the interface is made the way it is, and if it ticks you off enough, then buy it for your 360, and get angry at the PC gaming community for pirating so many games that developers don't bother to optimize for your system.

 

[sir.rutthed]

People are bitching because it's a console style menu on the PC. I think it's fantastic, it's so streamlined and simple and I can actually see what I need to see unlike in Oblivion.

 

[Darkmantle]

This was a big problem for me in Oblivion, but Skyrim's interface is WORSE than Oblivion?
I'm glad I don't have to deal with it.

But seriously: Trying to manage Inventory in Oblivion was like trying to operate a Rolodex with just your toes. Technically possible, but maddeningly irritating.

Dropping items wasn't intuitive, and in a game where weight/burden management is critical, having a few sorting options would have made things far easier.
I do like how they've basically gone "Fuck PC gamers. We're not even going to attempt to address this issue. We'll just let them fix it themselves."

funnily enough, dropping items is just a butten click now lol

 

[Mute52]

How could people complain about it, i press I and i'm in my inventory, pretty standard stuff...

 

[Atmos Duality]

funnily enough, dropping items is just a butten click now lol

Glad to see they remembered to tell the player what that fucking button is this time. 1 point to Skyrim.
But seriously: There's something horribly wrong with the UI design when I have to look up what one of the BASIC CONTROLS are online for a game that came out in 2006.

 

[ThisJustin]

"I hate having to use the compass to go to my items" guess what, you don't have to. Want items press "i", want spells press "p", the map "m". Don't think there's 1-8 hotkeys, there is. Haven't been using the favorites menu "q" you're missing out. These are all thing there for you to use, and it seems a lot of people don't realize it. Using WASD to navigate the menus and "e" to select flows quite nice. Don't like any of those keys, ahh that's the wonderful thing about PC in controls you can change them to whatever you like.

 

[AWAR]

I do like how they've basically gone "Fuck PC gamers. We're not even going to attempt to address this issue. We'll just let them fix it themselves."

I completely disagree. A modder's job isn't to fix the game, that's the developer's job, but to make new content and provide a different game experience. There is literally no excuse for such a broken menu.

 

[Atmos Duality]

I do like how they've basically gone "Fuck PC gamers. We're not even going to attempt to address this issue. We'll just let them fix it themselves."

I completely disagree. A modder's job isn't to fix the game, that's the developer's job, but to make new content and provide a different game experience. There is literally no excuse for such a broken menu.

Sorry. The tone of that quote was meant to imply sarcasm. I agree completely with your statement otherwise; modders should add to a finished product, not play amateur tech support.

I found it ludicrous and somewhat appalling when I discovered the Unofficial Oblivion Patch.
The bug-fix list in that mod alone is enormous, and indicative of how little Bethesda cares about the PC market (or any market other than the Xbox 360, if I'm to believe that the PS3 ports are just as buggy).

This issue with the interface is just further proof of how little they care.

 

[Pinstar]

Can I get some hotkeys? Yeah the favorites menu is all well and good, but how about you let me set up specific left-right hand configurations and then just switch to them when I hit that hotkey.

Like
1: Bow
2: Shield + Mace
3: Shield + Fast Heal
4: Dual Cast Summon
5: Clairvoyance + Candle Light

Then just bring those up without interrupting the action.

 

[Elsarild]

"I hate having to use the compass to go to my items" guess what, you don't have to. Want items press "i", want spells press "p", the map "m". Don't think there's 1-8 hotkeys, there is. Haven't been using the favorites menu "q" you're missing out. These are all thing there for you to use, and it seems a lot of people don't realize it. Using WASD to navigate the menus and "e" to select flows quite nice. Don't like any of those keys, ahh that's the wonderful thing about PC in controls you can change them to whatever you like.

You are still running into what the worst thing about this whole UI mess is, too much scrolling, too little information on screen.

I'll use myself as an example, I've got: a Bow, a few most used shouts, let's be generous and say around 5 (properly closer to 8-10) that I use alot, I have no less than 6 diffrent kinds of arrows, depending on my needs, then I have a shield, and a mace for close quater, and, while I don't do that, a mage or a melee fighter, might want some spells and a few potions, and I have a few spells in my favorite as well.

So, while downplaying my own favorite screen alot, I now have between 15-20 items in that screen, and it will only display, what, 6? and I'm running 1680:1050 so it only takes up 1/10 of my screen, so I'll be scrolling back and fourth half the time, while it could easily have been bigger, showing me even my entire list, and only taking up maybe ½ of my screen.

And assigning numbers to them dosen't do anything for me, I still have to have them in my favorites menu, so I still have to scroll past them, if I place 3 shouts and all my arrows on numbers, fine they are even faster to use, but they still clutter up my favorite list.

and I have to use 2 hotkeys for a mace and shield combo, I can't just hotkey both to 1 key, so it would be easier.

The Menus are a scrolling mess, face it.

 

[dashiz94]

I've been seeing numerous threads and articles complaining about Skyrim's interface and menu and what I just can't understand is...why? Why does it matter if the menu is slightly worse than it was in Oblivion? Does it still work for you? Can you still get to your items? Is at least partially organized? Yes, yes, and yes. So why make a big fuss over it? Judging from the tone of many of the comments regarding it, they almost make it out to be a total gamebreaker, when it's not.

Basic point, if you're going to complain about a game, make it so with decent points. Not because the menu doesn't look purrty.

Dear Dashiz

Thank you for your contribution to the mounting pile of threads decrying opinions that differ to your own. Your opinion is very important to us and the escapist community will from now on check with you before posting opinions to ensure that you agree with what's being posted so other opinions wont have to inconvenience you.

Thank you for your patience.

And thank you for your unnecessary and kind of offensive sarcasm. First off, I rarely saw threads promoting the interface, most of the time it was about why the interface sucks. Second, I asked why people are so upset with it. In turn, I received intelligent messages about why they dislike it and now I can understand the issues. As a PS3 player, I haven't experienced many of the issues the PC crowd has been facing with obvious reason. For me, the menus work fine. Noentheless, I got my answer and can understand why people dislike the new menus.

 

[Epona]

This was a big problem for me in Oblivion, but Skyrim's interface is WORSE than Oblivion?
I'm glad I don't have to deal with it.

But seriously: Trying to manage Inventory in Oblivion was like trying to operate a Rolodex with just your toes. Technically possible, but maddeningly irritating.

Dropping items wasn't intuitive, and in a game where weight/burden management is critical, having a few sorting options would have made things far easier.
I do like how they've basically gone "Fuck PC gamers. We're not even going to attempt to address this issue. We'll just let them fix it themselves."

What? Oblivion had sorting options and you could drop things at the push of a button (Square on PS3 and similar on the 360 I imagine).

 

[Atmos Duality]

What? Oblivion had sorting options and you could drop things at the push of a button (Square on PS3 and similar on the 360 I imagine).

Yes, and it sucked ass on PC.
I had to look up how to drop stuff because it wasn't in th emenu or in the controls list.

 

[Epona]

What? Oblivion had sorting options and you could drop things at the push of a button (Square on PS3 and similar on the 360 I imagine).

Yes, and it sucked ass on PC.
I had to look up how to drop stuff because it wasn't in th emenu or in the controls list.

Well, I think on the PC you have to drag it out of the inventory window. If there was a hotkey then I don't know about it. Yeah, it was also easier to sell stuff on the console too rather than having to drag the cursor down to the slider window all the time you could just hit X or A over and over again rapidly.

Anyway, yeah there were sorting options for weight, value, health and offensive/defensive value.